Girls basketball: Fieldcrest’s run ends with OT loss in Elite 8

PEOTONE – After the Fieldcrest girls basketball team’s huddle broke, Ashlyn May, Carolyn Megow, Haley Carver and Kaitlin White gathered for a teary-eyed hug.

The players then went to go find consoling hugs from parents and family after the Knights’ historic two-year run came to an end with a 59-55 loss to Chicago Noble/Butler in the Class 2A Peotone Supersectional on Monday a year after Fieldcrest beat the Lynx in the Elite 8 to earn the program’s first trip to state.

“I was not expecting my high school career to go this way,” said May, who helped the Knights to a 105-15 record, four regional titles and two sectional crowns over the past four years. “Going to state, supers, COVID, everything. This group of seniors, we’ve been through so much, and I think we’ve been great role models for the girls underneath us.

“We’ve had so much fun with so many laughs and so many exciting, intense games. It’s just been a great experience.”

Just like last year, the Knights found themselves down seven points early in the fourth quarter, and their deficit grew to nine on a fastbreak layup by Butler star Xamiya Walton with 6:54 left.

However, just like last season, Fieldcrest clawed back, going on a 9-0 run to pull within 48-47 on a drive and spinning bucket by May with 3:49 left.

The Knights took one-point leads twice in the final 2:26, both times on a pair of free throws by Kaitlin White, but a free throw by Lanyra McGill with 35.1 seconds left tied the score and the game went to overtime.

“You saw the heart and soul of this team,” Fieldcrest coach Mitch Neally said. “That’s the most important thing – they didn’t quit. They didn’t have fear. They just kept playing.”

Fieldcrest struck first in overtime as freshman Macy Gochanour hit a runner on the Knights’ first possession.

However, Fieldcrest didn’t score again and the Lynx took the lead on a putback by McGill before Mya Campbell hit 2 of 4 free throws in the final 14.4 seconds.

The Knights got 3-point shots from Carver, White and May in the final two minutes but none connected.

“I thought we had some good shots [in overtime]. We had some open looks, but they just didn’t fall,” Neally said. “That was the difference.”

The game was close throughout as the Lynx led 18-16 after the first quarter on a Walton 3 at the buzzer.

Butler led 32-29 at halftime and stretched the lead to seven early in the third before the Knights rallied to tie it at 38 when May drove and dished to Megow for a bucket.

Butler led 45-38 going to the fourth quarter.

“We knew coming in it was going to be a battle,” White said. “They always give a great battle. We just knew we had to play our hardest. Their height is very hard for us. We had to adjust to that. We knew defense and boarding and communication are what the game was going to come down to. I think both teams played very well. Both teams went on runs.”

May led the Knights with 21 points, while White scored 20 and Megow added 12. Fieldcrest finishes 32-4.

“The loss hurts, but I think in the end we’re going to look back and see what the girls have done, not just for their teammates and for me as a coach, but for the whole community,” Neally said. “They changed a culture. They’ve put Fieldcrest girls basketball on the map. It hurts now, but when they look back and see their name in the rafters, they’re going to appreciate what they did.”

Walton scored a game-high 25 points for the Lynx and surpassed 2,000 career points in the game.

Butler (30-6) will play Byron (32-2) in the state semifinals at 2:30 p.m. Thursday in Bloomington.